Welding helmet



' Feb. 7, 1939.

c. H, bocKsdN WELDING HELMET Filed on. 12, 1936 INVENTOR. C/Farks ht Joe/i5 BY A ORNE s.

' Patented Feb. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WELDING HELMET Charles H. Doclrson, Detroit, Mich. Application October 12, 1936, Serial No. 105,163

2 Claims.

This invention relates to. a helmet and more particularly to a helmet of the type worn by acetylene welders in order to protect the face of the workman from injury by flying particles thrown off during a welding operation and also prevent his eyes from being'injuriously effected by looking at the flame.

One object of the invention is to provide a helmet wherein an improved lens holder is provided which is formed of rubber or equivalent elastic material and of such firm'ation that it may be fitted into a sight opening formed in the body portion of the helmet, which is of stiff material,

and be very securely held in place but at the same time allowed to be easily removed when necessary.-

Another object of the invention is to provide the helmet with a lens holder which is not only adapted to be removably mounted in the sight opening but will also serve as a shock absorber and prevent the lensor lenses carried thereby from being broken if the helmet is dropped upon a concrete pavement or other hard surface by accident or due to careless handling of the helmet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rubber lens holder which is of such construction that in addition to permitting insertion and removal of the holder from the sight opening, the lenses will be removably engaged in grooves or seats formed in inner surfaces of walls of the holder and thus allowed to be easily removed when thorough cleaning or replacement of the .lenses is necessary.

Other objects and advantages of this invention I will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, wherein three embodiments of the present invention are illustrated.

In the drawing, wherein like'reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

' Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a welding helmet embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the helmet;

Fig. 4 is a transverse horizontal sectional view in the direction of the arrows, the section being taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view in the direction of the arrows, the section being taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a side view of a modified welding helmet constructed in accordance with the invention; and

Fig. 7 is a side view of another modification of the helmet.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing. since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the invention claimed herein beyond the requirements of the prior art.

In the drawing there are shown by way of example certain preferred embodiments of a weld-. ing helmet constructed in accordance with the invention. Referring to the drawing, a welding helmet constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention comprises generally a curved substantially semi-cylindrical portion adapted to fit at the face of the wearer at a certain distance therefrom. The top of said semicylindrical portion curves rearwardly to close the same and to form a head-protecting portion. Similarly, the lower end of said semi-cylindrical portion is closed by the chinand neck-protecting portion which curves rearwardly.

At the front of the semi-cylindrical portion at the level of the wearer's eyes there is provided an opening in which there is fitted a rubber grommetadapted to hold a filter or colored glass and a vision glass protecting the colored glass. The provision of a rubber grommet prevents breakage of the glass since it absorbs impacts which may result from causes common in practical use of the welding helmet. The vision glass is located in front of the filter glass, since said vision glass becomes pitted by incandescent particles of metal flying from the welding-rod or the articles of welding, and therefore requires frequent changing. The function of said vision glass is, therefore, to give added protection to the wearer's eyes and face and to protect thecolored filter glass from damage which may be caused by the flying incandescent particles.

The helmet is adapted to be supported on the wearer's head by means of any suitable head straps or harness adapted to support the helmet.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1-5 inclusive, wherein one preferred embodment is shown, the helmet of the present invention comprises a semicylindrical portion [0 having rearwardly extend- .ing straight sides Ii. At its top said semi-cylindrical portion l0 merges seamlessly into the rearwardly extending portion [2 closing said semicylindrical portion and providing protection for the top of the wearers head and preventing the light leaks around the semi-cylindrical portion.

At its lower edges said semi-cylindrical portion Ill merges seamlessly into a chinand neckprotecting portion l3 which extends rearwardlv and downwardly as shown in the drawing. An opening I4 is provided in said semi-cylindrical portion Ill at the level of the wearers eyes The opening I4 is adapted to receive a lens holder l5 which is adapted to support both a vision glass I6 and a filter or colored glass 11. In the present embodiment-of the invention said glass holder comprises a rubber grommet l8, provided with a groove I9 adapted to engage the edges 20 of the semi-cylindrical portion 10, thereby securing said grommet to said semi-cylindrical portion Ill.

The edges of the filter glass I! are engaged by a groove 2| provided on the inside surface of said rubber grommet l8 near the frontend thereof.

v Further out toward said front end of the grommet there is provided a groove 22 for receiving the edges of the vision glass It; Flanges 23 are formed on the forward end of said grommet I18 and extend around said glass l6. Said flanges may be made longer along the vertical sides of the glass and cut out along the horizontal sides thereof, thus facilitating taking out of the vision glass for the purpose of changing the same in cases of breakage or excessive spotting by incandescent metal particles. When such removal of the glass l6 becomes desirable, the vertical flanges or flaps 23 are bent outwardly and the glass I 6 is easily removed.

For the purpose of vertical. support, there is provided a strap 26 secured to the straight portions I I in'any suitable manner to provide a pivot, as indicated at 21. An adjustable horizontal strap 28 is connected to said vertical strap 26 near 21 for the purpose of insuring a tight fit of the strap to the wearershead. Adjustments of said horizontal strap 28 may be made with the aid of an adjusting screw indicated by the numeral 29.

In Fig. 6 there is shown a modification of the invention which differs from the structure shown in Fig.1 in that the cylindrical horizontal portion It) extends straight downward to form a depending skirt 30.

The modified structure shown in Fig. '7 is a welding helmet in which instead of having three portions, there is provided only one curved or egg-shaped portion 3|, its front top and lower portions merging one into another smoothly and seamlessly. Such a contour of the helmet is made feasible by the present invention and provides a helmet which, because of the spherical surfaces, has very high resistance to forces imposed thereon.

I claim:

l. A welding helmet comprising a substantially semi-cylindrical body portion of stiff material having a rearwardly extending head piece and a depending chin and neck piece homogeneous therewith and provided between the head and neck pieces with a horizontal sight opening, a soft rubber frame having its innerend conforming v to and projecting within the semi-cylindrical body portion at said sight opening and having its outer surface at its inner end provided with a single circumferential groove, the walls of which yieldably and detachably engage the adjacent walls of the sight opening, the inner wall of the frame at the outer end thereof being provided with spaced seating grooves, and lenses detach ably fitted in said seating grooves.

2. A welding helmet comprising a body p rtion of stiff material having a horizontal sight opening, a soft rubber frame having its inner end conforming to and projecting within the body portion through said sight opening and having its outer surface at its inner end provided with a circumferential groove, the walls of which yieldably and detachably engage the adjacent walls of the sight opening, the inner surfaceof the wall of the frame at the outer end thereof being provided with a seating groove, and a lens detachably fitted in said seating groove;

CHARLES H. DOCKSON. 

